Hope In Unlikely Places
by NotoriousReign
Summary: Tyler Lockwood finally needs to get away from witches and vampires... but he still can't help being drawn to a blonde-haired blue-eyed witch in the new town he's decided to move to.


**Author's Note:** I've wanted these two together since Secret Circle first came out with its pilot and I know it's random but I do love me some crossovers. Before Secret Circle was cancelled I thought both universes would've worked well together, especially since it's the same author of the original books too. Anyways, I've been musing about writing something for them for ages, so enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Secret Circle or Vampire Diaries or any of these characters in the fic, those belong to LJ Smith and the writers of their respective shows.

* * *

"I'm sick of witches. I just thought you should know."

Cassie laughed and even though he was serious when he said it, her laugh made Tyler smile.

"Well, let's see if I could change your mind."

"It's not just witches. Witches and… vampires."

She was already having a difficult enough of a time accepting that vampires were real and that the new sad lonely guy in Chance Harbor that she was dating was a werewolf (half?), but he had been honest from the start. It made her wonder what he could have possibly been through to make him say something so bluntly right now.

They met when he was volunteering at the school, but he had caught her practicing magic in the forest. She had been lonely too.

"Well as far as I know there are only witches here." Cassie couldn't help breaking into a playful smile. His melancholy state made her want to cheer him up. "But don't worry, I'll protect you."

* * *

When Adam had abruptly broken up with her, looking like he hadn't slept for days, not even giving her what she thought was a real explanation, Cassie didn't know what to do. No grandmother, no mother, no sister that was still gone, and now the guy she thought was supposed to be her soul-mate forgot about her like it was nothing. Faye and Melissa were fun, but then she would see Faye and Jake together and it made her remember the feelings she had felt for Adam and for Jake and for all the guys that had broken her heart. It made her lonely.

The solitude she felt in the forest as she thought about Adam and made those droplets of water rise like before, like the first time they met, was suddenly interrupted by the new high school's volunteer. He found her and she thought she was definitely screwed now, but then they started talking.

* * *

No doubt about it Tyler _was_ sick of all this supernatural crap that surrounded him, and it really made him wonder if some sort of angry god or fate hated him enough to stick him in a town that also had witches. Especially after he had just left Mystic Falls and then just left New Orleans. He really couldn't escape it no matter how much he tried to get away from what Klaus put him through.

When he saw her in the halls at her school and then saw what she could do out in the forest he didn't expect to laugh but he did. Just one loud disbelieving chuckle that he couldn't choke down in time.

"Unbelievable."

Everything splashed down around him in a hurry and Tyler was intrigued that he didn't even get soaked. She looked terrified and it made him realize that maybe she wasn't there to screw him over.

Maybe she was just as tired and lonely and scared – so _scared_ – as he was.

* * *

"What exactly _is_ a hybrid?"

He didn't remember the last time he had gotten a girl some ice cream. Tyler turned and handed Cassie her strawberry cone, walking down the street to the park with her inquisitive gaze on him.

"Part human, part vampire, part werewolf."

"Am _I_ a hybrid?" He furrowed his eyebrows, but she wasn't joking. "I'm part witch and part human."

"I don't think so." Tyler shook his head. "Before he turned me into a vampire I was just a werewolf. At least that's how I always saw it."

"So I'm a witch."

He grinned at her infectious smile. "So you're a witch."

"What would happen if me and you had a kid then?"

That made him stop short, thoughts running on overdrive. Already he had a new girlfriend who happened to be a witch and she was talking about babies.

Cassie stopped as well and rolled her eyes.

"It's just a question."

Tyler shook himself out of it and a cocky smirk spread across his lips. He sauntered towards her dramatically, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Well maybe we should test it out."

She laughed at that finally and the awkwardness subsided for now. He liked it, and she liked it too, when awkward moments like these were never too bad with the two of them to begin with.

* * *

When he ran into her friends at a birthday party Cassie couldn't understand why he left out of nowhere. One look at Faye and he was gone.

"What did you do? Did you mention Adam or something?"

"Why do you always assume I do something?" Faye rolled her eyes, glossy black hair up in a perfect bun. "I didn't even talk to him."

Cassie found him in the small loft he had bought two months ago, quickly trying to put things away. He shoved clothes and a toothbrush and some family heirlooms into a backpack and Cassie couldn't help noticing how empty the loft really was. Almost as empty as her grandmother's house. Tyler stopped when he saw her and she was taken aback with how _angry_ he looked. His eyes were flashing in contempt and she could have sworn she heard him snarl.

"I knew it. I knew you were lying to me."

"What?" He was confusing the hell out of her. One minute he was relaxed, the next it was like fire was about to burst through his eyes – he was so _mad_ and… scared?

"How do you know her?"

"Who?"

He wanted to grab onto her, but since she made no movement he thought better of it. Right now he had to control himself.

"Hayley!"

"Who's Hayley?"

"She got my mom killed, did she tell you that? I have no more family because of her, Klaus killed my _mom_. Because of _her_!"

"Tyler… I don't know who you're talking about."

She really didn't and it made him wonder if he was stuck in an awful nightmare, if someone was playing a trick on him. Those ridiculously _big_ blue eyes of hers were filled with concern. She didn't _look_ like she was lying, but then he was clearly a poor judge of character when it came to trusting pretty girls.

Tyler took a deep breath and swallowed and then realized it had all been a coincidence. And he had just blown up in front of the girl he liked. He could have hurt her.

He dropped the bag in the middle of the wooden floor, with a loud thud that disappeared and left them stuck in that awkward silence. But Cassie wasn't looking away and he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Probably a bad thing with his luck.

"Your friend that was in the… uh the red dress… she looks like—"

"A girl named Hayley." She interrupted. "If I ever meet this Klaus I'll probably kill him myself for what he's done to you."

Because she heard the stories in bits and pieces since they met and started dating. She knew more about this than the Tyler he had been before Klaus came to his town. She could see it when he would look over his shoulder at random instances, when he would act overly protective towards the freshmen at the high school, and especially when his eyes would cloud over at the sad awful memories. The outburst hadn't been anger, it had been pure unrelenting fear. She had been right.

Tyler clenched and unclenched his fists, noticeably relaxing at her dark tone. And yet it was also sort of... turning him on. There was still a little bit of that old Tyler in him and _that_ gave him an odd kind of hope he never felt before.

"It's okay Tyler. I don't have a family either anymore. I know what it's like."

They slept together for the first time that night. He wasn't like Adam and she wasn't like Caroline and… well the other girls he's been with. It was new for both of them and afterwards Cassie didn't even remember the party they ditched and Tyler thought maybe this place really _could_ be a home to him.

* * *

When Adam finally loses it, when the power consumes every part of him and they have to make the toughest decision of their life, Tyler's right there with her. Diana finally comes back, but it's Tyler's help that really does it.

With Adam leaving through shame, the hole Diana had left before was now left by him. He disappeared without a word and Cassie lay in the new mattress Tyler had bought for his loft wondering why she didn't feel as heartbroken as she should. Just stared at the chipped ceiling, heart in her throat.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your ex." She didn't watch Tyler pull his shirt on as he said it. "Are you mad at me?"

She thought maybe she should be mad at herself for the victory sex, for being so overcome with relief that she had just wanted to be wrapped in Tyler's protective arms for that night. For the rest of her life maybe. But she wasn't mad at _him_ for it what happened.

A normal guy would have hit the road the second he found out she was a witch. Hell, Tyler had his own problems with Klaus, he didn't need this too. But he was here helping her, thinking she was mad at him.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

He shrugged and made his way back towards the bed. "I have a history of somehow… not being enough."

She sat up, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you're mad at me tell me okay? I've lost enough people, I don't need to lose you too."

The sadness she hated to see was in his eyes again and Cassie lay back down, sighing and closing her eyes.

"Tell me what your life was like before… before you even found out you were a werewolf."

Tyler smiled warmly and when she opened her eyes she didn't see that dread was gone.

"How about I tell you the time I won a whole damn football game?"

She smiled back at him and they settled in. They forgot about their demons together, for that night and hopefully for more nights to come.

Maybe they could start a new family together.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I tried to leave it ambiguous with Adam over what happens. I'm not a big fan of his character (I know it's surprising that I like Cassie more) but it wouldn't be fair to just kill him off. Either way I wouldn't know what the writers were gonna plan for him anyways.

Hope you enjoyed!


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